18 photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin playing sports

Advertisement

Advertisement

Last weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin scored 8 goals in a ice hockey game.

Though it may seem strange to audiences outside of Russia, the 62 year-old's macho posturing is all part of the image that he has carefully cultivated through state propaganda since taking over the presidency from Boris Yeltsin at the turn of the new millennium.

So far, it has proven a successful way of presenting his tough-guy image at home and earned him his own fan club (including his very own pop song).